Bikeshare ridership increases islandwide

A little over a year after bike rental services were expanded in Hilo and Kailua-Kona, ridership is up islandwide.

Cyclists took 11,305 rides on rented bikes from HIBIKE kiosks across the island in 2023, which rose to 12,463 rides throughout 2024. The 1,000-plus increase for the year immediately followed the addition of six new bikeshare stations each for Kona and Hilo in January 2024.

The six new rental locations in Kona last year brought the West Hawaii total number of kiosks to 13, while the six new locations on the Hilo side brought the total there to 10 kiosks. The 12 new stations were paid for by $907,00 in federal Transportation Alternatives Program funds granted to the nonprofit People for Active Transportation Hawaii, or PATH, said the group’s Chief Operating Officer Kelly Hudik.

Hudik said ridership as of the first week of April 2025 is 2,997 rides, which she said includes, “some bumps in ridership that correlate with spring break and the busier months that we’ve had visitors on the island.”

One data outcome that gave clarity about where future new kiosks should go was the fact that the two new stations placed near universities, namely University of Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Community College, were the least used stations in Hilo, Hudik said.

“The idea was that students would use the stations to go into town, but that’s just not the case. Often, we see the students walking together or driving, and the bikeshare isn’t an option,” Hudik said. “The same was found on Oahu with UH Manoa. In the future, we’ll look at spaces around shopping areas (and) libraries to place stations.”

Hudik said there aren’t currently any plans for PATH to get additional funding to add more new kiosks on either side of the island, but said that “if the opportunity came, like in the past, with the request for PATH to apply for grant funding for additional stations, we would be happy to look at other spots.”

Hudik said PATH did receive additional grant funding from the Better Bike Share Partnership last April, which allowed PATH to host two adult bike safety classes in the fall of 2024. Fourteen bikers attended the Kona class in September and “most hadn’t ridden a bike in many years,” Hudik said. Of the 16 cyclists that attended the Hilo class in October, Hudik described a “mix of new riders and experienced riders.”

“We were just notified that we are going to be awarded funds for another Better Bike Share grant, so we will be holding a class in Kona and a class in Hilo in the future,” Hudik said.

Hudik said PATH continues to offer bike education classes to fourth-grade classes across the island every year impacting over 1,000 kids with education and free helmets. She said PATH’S receiving of a State Grant in Aid last year allowed the group to purchase a new van and trailer to keep the keiki education offerings rolling.

HIBIKE works with Hele-On to facilitate mass transit by allowing bike renters to request a code from the bus driver that gives them unlimited 30-minute rides for 24 hours, Hudik said. She also encouraged residents to take advantage of the kama‘aina monthly deals that aren’t available to visitors, with $20 per month allowing access to unlimited 30-minute rides and $25 per month unlocking unlimited 60-minute rides.

“They’re great options for people who want to ride to work if they can, or commute around town,” she said. “May is Bike Month, so it’s a great time for people to try bikes out who may be curious about them, especially now that we have stations on paths that are separated from vehicle traffic.”

Learn more about bike rentals and kama‘aina deals by visiting www.hawaiiislandbike.com or www.pathhawaii.org.

Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.